Urowoli

Copy of Grok’s response to my query on these containers: The Buhari administration recovered 690 out of roughly 800 containers of electricity equipment that it inherited (stranded for about 10 years by prior governments). These containers hold critical transmission gear—high-capacity transformers, cables, switchgear, and related items—imported for Federal Ministry of Power, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), and other government or donor-backed power projects. Some have sat uncleared at Lagos ports (mainly Apapa and Tin Can) for 14–20 years. History of the Stranded Containers: The problem is longstanding and stems from unpaid port charges and demurrage, incomplete customs procedures, duty-exemption issues, contractor abandonment or non-performance, and bureaucratic delays across agencies. Equipment was often procured under projects meant to expand the transmission network, relieve overloaded substations, and improve grid capacity, but it never reached project sites. Sources note consignments dating back to the mid-2000s (spanning the Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and into the Buhari periods), including items for NIPP, TCN donor-funded work, and later initiatives. This has left public investments idle, allowed assets to deteriorate, stalled projects, and contributed to Nigeria’s chronic power shortfalls while demurrage costs mounted. Recovery efforts have occurred intermittently. Under Buhari (with Babatunde Fashola as Minister of Power, Works and Housing): •By early 2018, the government reported recovering about 500–502 TCN containers left at ports before Buhari took office; these were moved to substations and construction sites as part of grid-expansion work. •In October 2018, Fashola stated that the administration inherited around 800 such containers and had recovered 690 of them (with presidential approval to deploy the equipment). These supported capacity upgrades at substations (e.g., Ejigbo in Lagos) and broader transmission expansion. Earlier 2017 TCN reports also noted clearing hundreds of contractor-abandoned containers. Despite these steps, hundreds of containers remained trapped due to ongoing charges, documentation problems, and lack of sustained coordination—some for nearly two decades. Experts have described repeated presidential clearances followed by new pile-ups, pointing to systemic issues rather than one-off fixes. Recent Developments (Tinubu Administration): In late October 2026, after a presentation by Power Minister Joseph Tegbe at the Federal Executive Council, President Bola Tinubu directed the immediate clearance of more than 300 remaining containers of similar equipment. The Ministry of Finance approved waivers on accumulated charges. On November 6, 2026, the Nigeria Customs Service (under Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi) began releasing the first 98 (reports vary slightly on the exact split, e.g., ~44–48 from ENL Terminal and ~50–54 from other terminals including APMT/Sun & Moon at Tin Can). The rest of the ~200+ are to follow. The items will be inspected for serviceability and deployed to stalled projects. In short, the containers are long-idle government power-sector imports trapped by administrative and financial bottlenecks. The Buhari administration’s documented recovery figure for the batch it inherited is 690.

Ladies & gentlemen, the Nigerian power sector is in a state of absolute chaos! Everyone is blaming everyone else, and no one is taking responsibility. They all blamed “gas constraints” and other imaginary factors, and now NNPC has been forced to publicly reject that gas has anything to do with it. WE ARE IN TROUBLE!!!